A journey to another world starting from a sword

What I want...

Everyone's faces lit up with elation. Was this the reward for the mission?!

But the next second, everyone calmed down. With their current wealth, it seemed that the reward wasn't so important anymore.

Take Xiaochun, a new member of the guild, for example. He is wearing a "Crimson Trench Coat +7", "Silver Plated Breastplate +8", "Ranger Shorts +6", "Wanderer Greaves +5", "Ring of Strength", "Shining Necklace", and "Jade Earrings".

The lower body equipment was obtained from the casino. Because I hadn't had time to collect the enhancement materials, I couldn't enhance it to the limit, but this set already surpassed 99% of the players in Aincrad.

Even if you reward players with good equipment, the cost of improving their strength by even a little bit is a waste of time and effort to further enhance their abilities, since the materials are collected by players themselves, which is meaningless.

"Haha, it seems like I don't really need anything..." Argo said awkwardly, scratching his head.

"Why don't you stay and help me, Dante and your companions? Stay in this town as guests of the Kultui family. Food and lodging are free, and you'll receive 10,000 couls a month for spending money. If you want to work, you can manage the casino. Oh, and that auction I mentioned earlier, if it goes well, you can handle that too. You'll get extra pay for that..."

"Oh no." Lisbeth clutched her chest; the more she listened, the more tempted she became.

A luxurious house and delicious food, money flowing in without you having to do anything...

“Miss Liz! Calm down.” Silica grabbed Lizbeth and shook her hard.

"I... I only hesitated for a moment... that's all," Lisbeth said, turning her head to defend herself.

That's all...

Dante and his companions were speechless. Why were they hesitating? It was precisely because they wanted it!

“Thank you, but settling down in a city is too early for us,” Dante said politely on behalf of the others, then turned back to the girls and raised an eyebrow, as if asking, “Is there anyone who wants to stay?”

Silica, who had grabbed Lisbeth, quickly shook her head, and then everyone else did something similar.

“Or rather, if you have any wishes or requests, I will definitely be able to fulfill them,” Nirunier asked calmly.

"..." The girls looked at each other, wondering if the best way to use this wish was to fulfill their current desires that they couldn't have, but they didn't seem to have anything they particularly wanted right now.

"You! Dante, you speak!" Nyrunel commanded in a sweet voice when she saw Dante looking down in thought.

"Any request is acceptable?" Dante asked, tilting his head.

“Of course!” Nirunier swung her legs leisurely.

"Really?"

"The Kutui family always repays kindness!" Nirunier was brewing her discontent.

"Even a request like marrying me would be acceptable?"

The air suddenly became silent.

“It’s not impossible.” The next second, Nirunier laughed. “Are you ready to marry into the Kurty family?”

“If I don’t marry into the family, then we can’t have one of us with the surname Nakutui and the other with… Evegarden,” Dante negotiated, laughing as well.

"Hmm... two?" Nyrunel seemed a little troubled, but immediately agreed, "Okay!"

"No!!!" Asuna grabbed Dante's arm and clothes.

No, it wasn't just Asuna; Mito's fingers also grabbed her left hand, and the hem of her dress was held tightly at the back.

Who! Who's pulling my hair!

Dante wanted to turn back to look at the prisoner, but his body was completely unable to break free.

A little anxious, Asuna raised her voice slightly and scolded, "What are you thinking?! There's a limit to jokes!"

"Hmm?" Nirunier tilted her head in confusion. "Is it a joke?"

She was somewhat disappointed. "The Kurty family does indeed need a direct heir, and I have a very good impression of you."

"!" The maid, Qiao, glanced sideways. The compliment "very good" was rarely uttered by Miss Nirunier, no, almost never in recent years!

“Just kidding, this guy is just joking!” Argo’s laughter came from behind Dante.

"Hehehe..." Jeliska covered her mouth and laughed, while Xiaochun was a little worried, "Are you alright?"

"The president is just joking," Jeliska whispered in response. She probably had some special request, so she mentioned something more difficult to fulfill first to see how it went. How cunning!

"Argo! Are you pulling my hair?!" Dante was forced to look up, and he heard Argo's laughter and realized who the hand on his hair belonged to.

"Oh dear, what are you saying?" Argo chuckled teasingly in his ear. "How could I possibly do such a thing? And Little Asia is going to be angry, so hurry up and apologize."

"..." Dante turned his head to look at Asuna, who narrowed her eyes and looked down at him with a cold gaze.

Isn't that already a sign of anger?

Chapter 159: Please accept our hospitality

Staring at him with that oppressive gaze that seemed to say, "Tell me this is a joke," Dante immediately smiled wryly and said to Nyrunel, "Sorry, it's a joke."

“Is that so? What a pity.” Nirunier blinked a couple of times. “You must have had a tough time.”

She then turned her gaze to Asuna, who abruptly turned her face away.

"So what do you really want?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"Hmm..." Although his hair was loosened, three hands were still tugging at his clothes. Dante ignored them and asked Nyrunel seriously, "Before that, I want to ask if it's possible to become human again if I become a 'Night Dweller'."

“Ah, this—” Nirunier raised her head knowingly. “Normally, this transformation is irreversible, but I remember seeing an alchemical potion in an ancient book that could get rid of this ‘curse of eternal night.’ However, the potion’s ingredients are difficult to obtain, and some of them are ones I’ve never even heard of.”

“Um… what is the ‘Night People’?” Silica asked, peeking out from behind Dante.

“If a human is drained of blood by the ‘Lord of the Night,’ they will become a familiar, also known as a ‘Night People,’” Nirunel kindly explained. “However, they are slightly weaker than their master, and the biggest difference is that they cannot create familiars. Although they can drain blood because they have fangs, those who are drained of blood will not become ‘Night People.’”

"Ah, so that's how it's set up," Xiaochun murmured softly. "It really is like in the movies."

"The transformations in the movies can't be achieved just by drinking blood, right?" Lingyin whispered.

“…” Mitt glanced at Dante, subtly releasing his grip on Dante’s sleeve.

So that's what he was planning. She thought to herself, just like Nyrunel, she clearly understood Dante's intention in asking that question.

“You want to use that sword, don’t you?” Nirunier revealed the truth. “Only the Lord of the Night can fully unleash the power of ‘Melancholy Nocturne,’ but the Night People can also wield its power to some extent.”

“Yes.” Dante nodded. “We want to reach the hundredth floor; it’s very important to us.”

The word "important" made Asuna tighten her grip on her sleeve slightly; she had originally wanted to say maybe she should just forget about it.

After all, becoming a 'Night Dweller' will definitely come at a considerable price. As Miss Nerunel just said, this power is cursed.

But to beat this game and become stronger, you need that kind of determination.

“A hundred floors… what an incredible dream.” Nirunier looked dazed, as if she felt that this ideal was out of reach, which was why she called it a dream. She shook her head to dispel her current thoughts, and then propped her cheeks up with her fingers.

"Sure, but you have to be prepared. Once you become a 'Night Dweller,' you can only move around at night, and you also have to be careful of sunlight and silver."

“Miss Nirunier…” Qiao, who was standing to the side, hesitated before speaking.

"What's wrong?" Sensing something amiss, Argo asked. "Is there something inconvenient?"

“Yes, Miss Nirunel has never drunk human blood since I started serving the Kutei family,” Kio said carefully, observing his master’s face.

“I just don’t want to inhale.” Nirunier waved her hand dismissively.

“Huh? Isn’t that red wine made from human blood?” Lisbeth exclaimed in surprise.

“Of course not!” Nirunier’s eyes widened and she immediately burst out laughing.

"Those are red wines, but they are indeed high-end products," Qiao explained on his behalf.

"..." Dante fell silent for a moment. In fact, he knew that the other party had to drink a potion made with diluted dragon blood every week to suppress his blood-sucking urges. The other party was a noble and pure "Lord of the Night".

“However, I can make an exception for you,” Nyrunel said to Dante with a charming smile.

Asuna lowered her head slightly, biting her lip. She had originally planned to ask Miss Nerunel to turn her into a "Night Dweller" as well.

"Can we also become 'Night People'?" Mit asked without hesitation, and Silica seemed interested as well.

“I advise you not to,” Nirunier advised. “I’ve already said that being a ‘Night Dweller’ has many inconveniences. This guy only wants to become a Night Dweller to use that sword. In fact, there are quite a few people who want to capture or kill Night Dwellers. To most humans, we are closer to being monsters.”

“My grandfather, Faruhari, was also the ‘Lord of the Night.’ The reason he defeated the water dragon Saliega was not to save the women who were being sacrificed, but to obtain the dragon blood that would make him stronger…”

Niru Niel slowly recounted the story of her ancestors. Faruhari originally lived in a large city on the first floor, but was exiled for some unknown reason. So she hunted dragons and climbed up to the second and third floors, and finally defeated the water dragon Saliega on this seventh floor.

According to Nyrunel, the reason they couldn't see any dragons in the lower levels was because they had all been killed by Faruhali.

What happened next was just as Dante knew. Even though the villagers knew that Faruhari was the "Lord of the Night," they regarded him as a hero. So Faruhari stayed in the village and had twin boys with the woman who was supposed to be a sacrifice. However, the probability of a child born to a "Lord of the Night" and a human becoming the "Lord of the Night" is quite low.

And so this happened...

"After their mother died, the sons, who were beginning to grow old, began to fear and hate their father. They could not accept dying before their father without being able to inherit the family business. So one sunny day, they secretly sneaked into their father's bedroom. The older brother broke the window that had been nailed shut, while the younger brother pierced Faruhari's chest with a silver sword while he was sleeping in bed, killing him with sunlight and silver."

"Ah..." No one present had expected that there was such a tragic history behind the glory of Wolbda.

“So this is a cursed power, so don’t think that becoming a ‘Night Dweller’ is a good thing.” Nirunel lay back on the cushion and gently swung her legs again.

“But the ‘Night People’ can turn back into humans, can’t they?” Dante laughed fearlessly.

"Even I'm not sure... The ingredients for alchemical potions are incredibly difficult to obtain. Just three different portions of fresh dragon blood are hard to come by, not to mention the elven springs, which are sacred places sealed off by the elven royal family and are difficult for ordinary people to enter. And then there's the griffin's tendons; griffins are almost extinct in the lower realms..."

Nirunier slowly recounted the ingredients for the potion, which sounded very difficult to obtain and required a great deal of effort just to collect.

"It's not too difficult." Dante said optimistically that these materials could probably be obtained from the upper levels. Although the conditions were harsh, even criminal players could turn back into green buoys by completing tasks, so there was no reason why the Night Dwellers couldn't.

"If I really can't turn back, I'll have no choice but to rely on the Khotui family."

"Hehe, you're welcome to come anytime." Nirunier's eyes were smiling as she alluringly crossed her fair legs, revealing an unimaginable charm beneath her gorgeous cuteness.

"Hmm." Dante also smiled and said, "And as for dragon blood, we'll be able to get a portion right away."

“...You mean the Fire Dragon Akira.” Nirunier immediately guessed his target. “...Since you’ve already made up your mind, I won’t try to persuade you otherwise.”

She asked Dante, "When do you plan to do it?"

"Hmm... let's wait until after we've hunted the dragon."

"Have humans become this strong now?" Nirunier sighed softly before waving her hand. "Then, before slaying the dragon, please continue to accept the hospitality from the Nakutui family."

Chapter 160: Why are you here?!

Since the furniture for the beachfront villa hasn't been purchased yet, staying temporarily in the upscale hotel at the Worubuda Casino is a good option.

During the day, they would take their guildmates to level up or continue exploring the dungeon area, and at night they would return to Worubda to enjoy a rare rest.

Then everyone became completely friends with Nyrunel, and she led them around the city.

“This is a large public bath designed especially for me. Because it has no windows, you can come in even during the day.” In the corridor, Nirunier enthusiastically introduced it to the girls. “But you’re not here during the day. You can come anytime you want in the future.”

"Then why did you suddenly say you can only come at 10 p.m.?" Asuna asked, puzzled. When she returned from the lower level with Silica and the others in the afternoon, she met up with Miss Kio and planned to go and see the furniture that the Kurtui family had purchased.

They said it was a free gift, but Asuna and her companions discussed it and realized that since they had indeed made a lot of money from the casino, it wouldn't be right to take advantage of them for free.

So Asuna, as the vice president, asked to pay, and then Kio gave them a discounted price, which was actually the cost price. But it was said that the price of just one bed was 20,000 Cor, which really shocked Lisbeth. She exclaimed that even carpenter players could make so much money.

Neru Niru and Kio both felt that it was a waste to buy cheap furniture for such a nice house, especially since this wasn't even the most expensive type. The most expensive types were decorated with a lot of unnecessary decorations, making them very poor value for money.

Afterwards, Kio told Asuna and the others about Miss Nerunel's invitation to take a bath together. Asuna even specially invited Mito, who had explored the labyrinth area with Dante that day, to form a luxurious girl team. It's no exaggeration to say that most of the cutest girls in all of Aincrad are here.

“Hmm, that’s a good question. Although it was designed for me, it’s also available for guests staying here.” Nirunel nodded, answering Asuna’s question.

"Huh? Will we run into other guests?" Jeliska asked.

“Ah, that’s why I said I’d come back at 10 o’clock. Don’t worry, only 3 pm and 9 pm are available for guests,” Nirunier said with a smile. “In other words, this is a special VIP private time.”

Although she is usually quiet and aloof, Miss Nerunel is more lively than usual, no, more lively than she has been in the past ten years, when she is with Asuna and the others. This is the most direct feeling of the maid Kio who follows her master.

However, due to Kio's special discipline—such as "as the head of the Nakutui family, one cannot engage in such childish behavior"—Nirunel usually finds it difficult to do anything unconventional.

With her playmates by her side, Nirunier's childlike heart began to stir again, and she wanted to do things she couldn't do before, such as jumping directly into the bathtub.

“This is it.” Nirunier pointed to a hall in front of her that was decorated with a lot of ornamental plants and resembled a lounge. There were rattan chairs and tables on both sides of the wall, and there were also transparent glass kettles on the tables, filled with fragrant flower tea.

And there really is no one here. In the past few days, quite a few players have flocked to this city. Although Argo has published a notice in the weekly report, there are still quite a few players in the casino. Hopefully, they haven't bet their entire fortune and just want to experience this rare opportunity.

"Looks like there's no ping-pong table," Xiaochun remarked, looking around.

“What’s a ping-pong table?” Nirunier asked involuntarily. “I’ve never heard of this thing before.”

"No... this is actually a custom from our hometown." Xiaochun realized that she might have said something wrong.

"It's a form of entertainment after taking a bath," Lingyin explained. As a returned overseas Chinese, she was already very familiar with some of Japan's customs and culture.

“Eh—” Nyrunel seemed quite interested.